Voting: ‘The most powerful tool we have’
It is hard to imagine what Jefferson would make of these times. Doubtful, hopeful, resolute? As a principal architect of the Constitution of the United States in this the commemorative year of the 150th anniversary of the Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibited denying a citizen the right to vote based upon that citizen’s race, color, or previous condition of servitude, and the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which prohibited denying the right to vote to citizens on the basis of sex.
We would like to think that he would have found these times and evolutions to our founding principles to be the culmination of the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
In the years since these amendments to our Constitution, the majority of our population has increased in eligibility to elect and represent each other, yet our participation in this crucial tenet of democracy has decreased. Yes, the cruel practices of brutality, intimidation, poll taxes, and de-legitimization have greatly influenced our willingness to participate as voters.
In addition to current voter apathy with relation to not feeling represented by those they elect. Yet, the act of checking boxes is still the surest method of change in our current political system.
The recent passing of the iconic Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who embodied and fought relentlessly for these rights, brings this personal responsibility within our society to an ever greater pitch. In his own prescient words he stated: “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democracy.”
Let us bring this analysis closer to home.
In the 2016 presidential election, 138 million Americans voted. That makes up 58.1 percent of our votingeligible population. Yes, you are correct in your math, almost half of our country did not vote in the 2016 presidential election.
In 2016, Boulder County had 215,378 registered voters out of 321,250 residents. Yes, that is 105,872 residents who are not registered to vote. There were 192,405 ballots counted. A good representation of votes in relation to the national picture, yet still 22,973 unaccounted for just in registered voters.
We can break this down into a telling detail: in 2016, 179,592 voted by mail ballot. Fifty percent of which were deposited at the 15 24-hour ballot boxes placed throughout Boulder County. The most popular being the Lafayette Public Library (16,362 ballots) and the Boulder Clerk and Recorder’s Office (12,930 ballots). These numbers take on a critical aspect of validity given all of the recent crises in relation to the United States Postal Service.
If 179,592 ballots are suddenly placed into question, we have a serious problem on our hands. The need to support and defend this option is very real.
The point being from all of these data points is: Did the patriots who fought for these civil liberties through blood, sweat, and tears envision such a disengaged reality or is the responsibility on us to fulfill the dream that they envisioned and made possible?
Here are ways that you can change this: Vote (mail ballot or in-person, whichever you feel most comfortable with). As stated, “it is the most powerful tool we have.” Volunteer (more than 500 workers help make the election process possible in Boulder County alone. Check out bouldercounty.org/ elections/information/election-positions).
Advocate (help register your family, friends, neighbors to vote: bouldercounty .org/elections/register). Additionally, Colorado is just one of 17 states which has same-day voter registration with state identification. And most importantly, participate.
As Congressman Lewis stated: “Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”
Paul Cure is the owner of Mea Culpa Productions: We Need To Talk and a former candidate for the Boulder City Council.
“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”
— Thomas Jefferson